Visitor from Portland
by patricia51
Summary: Phil Coulson has an unexpected visitor drop by. The thing is; she's not the first one he's had recently. Vaguely connected to my Avengers story "Competition. Coulson/Lady Sif.


Visitor from Portland by patricia51

(Phil Coulson has an unexpected visitor drop by. The thing is; she's not the first one he's had recently. Vaguely connected to my Avengers story "Competition.)

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Phil Coulson muttered, more to himself than the doorbell. "You would think finding a little hideaway would allow you to stay hidden, at least occasionally. I'm not building a better mousetrap so why is the world beating a path to my door? Not that it's all bad mind you."

He shook his head. That's what came from living alone most of the time. You started to talk to yourself. He smiled. He had heard someone say once it was alright to talk to yourself. It was alright to answer yourself. Even to argue with yourself. But when you started to lose those arguments you really were in trouble.

The doorbell pealed again, interrupting his thoughts. He shrugged and headed for the door. He grasped the doorknob with his left hand, his right dropping into the pocket of the dressing gown he had snatched up where it wrapped around the comforting butt of the pistol there. After all, no one was supposed to know where he was. But that had already been proved wrong once recently.

He opened the door and took in the female figure standing there. He took his right hand out of the pocket it had been in. Empty.

"Hello Nora."

"Phil." The woman shifted from one foot to the other as nothing more was said for a bit. "May I come in?"

"Of course. I'm sorry," he stepped aside and gestured her in. "Please", he indicated an overstuffed chair and a couch. "Have a seat."

"Thank you." She sat and looked around, obviously searching for something to say.

"Nice little hide-away you have here Phil. And that dressing gown; quite Continental. Not what I had grown to expect from you."

"Things change sometimes."

An awkward silence fell over the two. Finally Phil cleared his throat.

"I'm sort of surprised you were able to find me. Here anyway. This is supposed to be a rather closely held secret."

"I know. I was really surprised when out of the blue Pepper Potts told me where to find you after refusing more than once. After all, I know she's a good friend of yours and I'm quite sure she hasn't forgiven me."

Phil shrugged. "I don't know about that. Maybe she has. There might be more than one reason for someone's actions."

Nora gave him a strange look. "Anyway, she helped me. Don't be mad at her."

"I'm not," Phil said calmly, knowing full well exactly why his blonde female friend had chosen this time to give his where-abouts to his ex. "So, you're here. Why? I'm sorry," he immediately added. "That was rather blunt of me. But I am curious."

"It's simple. I made a mistake when I went back to Portland."

"It hurt me Nora. You didn't talk about it, you never gave me any hint you were dissatisfied or looking elsewhere. Then all of a sudden you were gone and all I had was an envelope with my name on it and a brief note telling me you have moved. You never even said you were sorry."

"Because I was afraid," Nora replied quietly. "I knew I was going to hurt you when I accepted the position with the Portland Symphony. I didn't have the courage to tell you face to face so I ran away. I was wrong and I've regretted it ever since."

He smiled gently. "Water under the dam Nora. I got over it."

She searched his face. "Did you? Is it all over? No chance to start again?"

Just then a door creaked and someone else entered the room. Nora's jaw actually dropped as she took in the new arrival.

Nearly six feet tall the raven-haired new arrival was dressed simply but astoundingly elegantly in a plain white sleeveless dress with a narrow gold belt and gilt sandals. The hem of the dress seemed to barely reach her thighs and the neckline plunged to show off yet also keep concealed a generous cleavage. The built up heels displayed the woman's long elegant legs. Nora's eye nearly popped from her head as she took in the other woman.

She did try to rally. "Phil goodness, I didn't know you were on such good terms with a Greek goddess."

"Not Greek. Norse." He turned to the dark-haired woman. "Sif; let me present Nora Chambers. Nora this is the Lady Sif of Asgard."

"My pleasure, Lady Nora. Phillip has spoken of you. You are the cellist are you not? How wonderful. He has recordings of you and your symphony orchestra. What a gift to produce such music. My compliments. I wish I had talents such as yours but mine lay only in the art of the sword and battle."

Nora was speechless. It's not every day when a warrior goddess says nice things about you, sincerely but still almost like it was an afterthought as the tall woman immediately turned her attention to Phil.

"I am sorry to interrupt when you have a guest my Phillip but you need to be getting ready. We need to be leaving shortly if we are going to be on time to take Captain Rogers and Lady Natasha out to dinner." She turned back to Nora and smiled happily. "It's their first anniversary and I am proud to say I claim some of the credit for their finally getting together."

"By Captain Rogers and Lady Natasha you mean..." Nora asked hesitantly.

"Captain America and Natasha Romanoff also known as Black Widow.," finished Phil.

"Dear friends and wonderful people as well as valiant warriors," added Sif.

Nora rose to her feet. "Lady Sif is right Phil. You need to go. I appreciate you taking the time to see me." The visitor from Portland refused to let her eyes drop to waist level, which would have meant she would have to notice, and comment perhaps on, the fact that Sif had taken Phil's hand and the two had interlocked fingers. "I wish the two of you all the best." With that she left, almost fleeing in her haste.

Phil looked at Sif with a questioning look. "I find it strange my dear that suddenly Pepper let's my ex know where to find me just when we find some time to be alone together.

The Asgardian woman smiled. Her eyes twinkled. "Remember dear Son of Coul that the Lady Pepper and I have been known to plot for the greater good." Her smile softened. "And brining some, what do you call it? Closure? To you with your former flame to give you peace is a very good thing at indeed." She squeezed his hand.

He lifted her fingers to his lips for a kiss. "Thank you but rest assured I am supremely happy with what life, and you, have given me. No one could ever part me from you."

"The correct answer," Sif nodded as she kissed Phil. "Remember my dear I still have my sword."

(The End)

(Notes: The Phrase "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door," is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the nineteenth century poet, who actually never said it. The actual quote is "If a man has good corn or wood, or boards, or pigs, to sell, or can make better chairs or knives, crucibles or church organs, than anybody else, you will find a broad hard-beaten road to his house, though it be in the woods."

We never see the cello player in the Avengers movie or get a name for her. I decided she sort of sounded like she might be a Nora.)


End file.
